


Motion

by Tarash



Category: Atlantis (UK TV)
Genre: Fluff, Hammocks, Kissing, M/M, Post-Canon, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-06 19:18:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5427602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarash/pseuds/Tarash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since they have to wait for Jason and Ariadne to get back from town anyway, and with Hercules and Cassandra distracted by dice, Pythagoras and Icarus figure they have some time to put the ship's hammocks to better use.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Motion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aurilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurilly/gifts).



Their boat is docked in the harbour of a large town, and Ariadne and Jason have volunteered to go into town. As a group, they stand out far too much and draw attention, but separately or as couples they do just fine.

 

Icarus doesn’t mind staying on the ship while Jason and Ariadne explore the town and try to find out if Pasiphae’s messengers have reached these shores and if so, whether or not the townspeople put any faith in her words.

 

He’s sitting on the deck, his back against the cabin, watching Hercules teach Cassandra a dice game. The three of them are out of sight from anyone walking past the ship, and Pythagoras has gone to the other side of the deck to see if Ariadne and Jason are coming back yet.

 

“Now, the best roll is two sixes,” Hercules explains to the young girl. “It’s called the throw of Aphrodite, and it means you win the game.” He throws his dice, and Cassandra gasps as Hercules rolls two sixes.

 

“What are the odds?” Hercules grins.

 

“One in thirty six, but with your dice the odds are likely to be a lot better than that.”

 

Icarus smiles up at Pythagoras, who smirks at a scowling Hercules. “Any sign of Jason and Ariadne?”

 

“I did not see them.” A brief flash of worry crosses Pythagoras’ face, but it’s soon replaced by a smile when Cassandra throws the dice, and rolls a pair of sixes as well. “I am not sure if that is a good sign, or a bad.”

 

Cassandra eyes Hercules suspiciously. “Are these special dice?”

 

“Very special,” Hercules tells her, and he gives Pythagoras a glare. “But you should understand the regular rules of this game before I explain the special rules.”

 

“He means cheating,” Pythagoras says, when Cassandra glances up at him and raises her eyebrows.

 

“Cheating is wrong,” she replies firmly.

 

“Some say that gambling is wrong,” Hercules says. “Besides, it is not so much cheating as it is outsmarting an opponent, who is most likely cheating as well.”

 

“It is best if no one cheats,” Cassandra tells him, after thinking it over. “At least then it’s fair.”

 

Pythagoras stretches his arms over his head. “While I usually enjoy discussing morality and ethics, I will attempt to take a nap.” He nudges Icarus’ shoulder with his knee.

 

Icarus blinks, surprised by Pythagoras’ carelessness and he looks up with a frown. Pythagoras smiles at him, then looks at Cassandra and Hercules, who are discussing whether or not it’s fair to cheat if you know everyone else is cheating as well.

 

Pythagoras wanders around the corner and into the cabin, and Icarus waits a short while before getting up and declaring he’s going to take a short nap too, since he doesn’t want to be tired for when he’s keeping watch that night.

 

Hercules and Cassandra give no indication of having heard him at all.

 

He closes the door to the cabin behind him, grinning at Pythagoras, who is lying in one of the hammocks. “You are not asleep.”

 

“I think I am not nearly as tired as I thought,” Pythagoras replies, smiling as he folds his hands behind his head.

 

Icarus walks over to him, letting his eyes wander down Pythagoras’ clothed body. This quest hasn’t left them with as much privacy as they would’ve liked, and he definitely doesn’t want to ignore this excellent opportunity. “How fortunate.”

 

Pythagoras moves a little to one side. “I wonder if these hammocks are large enough for two? I have measured them, and theoretically it should be possible.”

 

“Well, let us put your theory into practice to see if you are correct.” He has no doubt that Pythagoras is right, but he’s going to have to be careful as he gets into the hammock with him.

 

He leans forward, his hands on either side of Pythagoras’ shoulders, pressing down on the rough fabric underneath him, then brings up one knee. He puts it down between Pythagoras’ legs, then slowly transfers his weight onto it before bringing up his other leg.

 

This causes the hammock to swing, and Icarus stares down into Pythagoras’ wide eyes, clearly as worried as he is about falling out, but somehow they both manage to stay in the hammock.

 

Icarus lets out a sigh of relief once he’s in the hammock with Pythagoras, moving slightly so he’s not entirely on top of him. “That was quite enough danger for one day,” he murmurs, his mouth close to Pythagoras’ ear.

 

“If you did not want danger, you should not have joined the quest,” Pythagoras replies with a smile.

 

Icarus smiles back. “You know why I joined.” He reaches out to take Pythagoras’ hand, twining their fingers together.

 

“If it is to make amends…”

 

“I need to do the right thing,” he tells Pythagoras, pressing a kiss against his temple. “I betrayed you.” It still hurts to think about what he did, how everything could’ve ended.

 

“You helped us,” Pythagoras reminds him, still smiling. “Icarus, you _saved_ us. That matters the most.”

 

They have had this discussion before, and every time Icarus marvels at how easily Pythagoras forgives him. “I do not deserve you, or to be here with you.”

Pythagoras snorts. “Please, if it were not for your company, I would not know what to do with myself. There was no time to bring any of my scrolls.”

 

“We’ll return to Atlantis one day,” Icarus says. It’s a hope they all cling to.

 

“One day,” Pythagoras agrees, and then his sad smile becomes a mischievous smirk as he looks at Icarus. “However, for now I am pleased that my theory regarding this hammock was correct.”

 

Icarus grins. “I am glad to have been of assistance.” They’re pressed together, and he can feel the heat of Pythagoras’ body through their clothes. “Are there any other theories you have, regarding hammocks?”

 

“I have been pondering a few,” Pythagoras says, and his cheeks flush a little, his tongue darting out to lick his lips.

 

“Oh?” Icarus asks, and he’s fairly certain his own face is getting flushed too. They’re both new to this, not just to being with another man, but to romance and love in general. He has always been preoccupied with his father and his work, and Pythagoras has always been busy with his research, keeping Hercules out of trouble and then Jason. They’re not letting a lack of experience hinder them, though.

 

“Well,” Pythagoras says, “what about adding movement to the equation?”

 

“Like so?” Icarus asks, and moves his head so he can kiss Pythagoras’ mouth, pulling back after pressing their lips together. “I do not think that made much of a difference.”

 

“We should try again,” Pythagoras insists, releasing Icarus’ hand so he can wrap that hand around Icarus’ arm, just above his elbow. “Longer, this time.”

 

Icarus agrees, and they kiss each other languidly, exploring each other’s mouths. The hand Pythagoras let go of is still resting on his chest, and Icarus strokes Pythagoras through his tunic, rubbing up and down. He moves steadily lower, until he can dip underneath the shirt and press his hand against warm skin.

 

Pythagoras lets out a pleased noise at that, his hand running up Icarus’ arm and underneath his sleeve.

 

“I think,” Icarus says, when he raises his head, “we should add more movement.”

 

“Oh?” Pythagoras looks a little surprised. “Such as?”

 

Icarus runs his hand further up Pythagoras’ stomach, bringing the tunic up with him. “Taking this off, for a start.”

 

Pythagoras laughs, and nods. He has to extract his other arm from where it is squashed underneath Icarus, and it takes a lot of squirming to get the tunics off.

 

While Icarus is very glad to have a half-naked Pythagoras pressed against him, he does slightly miss the squirming. The way Pythagoras’ thigh pressed and rubbed against his groin was very… stimulating.

 

They quickly resume their kissing, Icarus’ hands stroking Pythagoras’ chest and searching for sensitive spots he found during other experiments. If he runs his fingers up Pythagoras’ side just so, he is sure to get a soft gasp of pleasure out of the other man, and scratching lightly with his nails across the skin just above Pythagoras’ belt earns him a more desperate, needy groan.

 

But Pythagoras is nothing if not diligent and careful, and he has found plenty of spots that make Icarus moan and shudder with delight as well. It is wonderful, exploring each other like this, and learning about himself as well. Icarus never knew that he liked having fingers run through his hair and stroke the back of his neck until Pythagoras did it.

 

He has considered the possibility that he simply likes Pythagoras touching him in general, but testing that theory would require letting someone who is not Pythagoras touch him like this, and that will never happen as far as Icarus is concerned.

 

He shifts in the hammock so he can kiss Pythagoras’ jaw and neck, to find the place that makes Pythagoras squirm against him eagerly. He sucks gently on the patch of skin. He could leave a mark, but that would require far too much explaining – not to their friends, fortunately, but to others who might be less understanding.

 

Pythagoras leans his head back as much as he can, wrapping one leg around the back of Icarus’ knee to pull him closer. “Right there,” he pants, then moans as Icarus scrapes his teeth across the skin.

 

It’s getting difficult to ignore the way his cock is hardening, and if he’s not mistaken about what is pressing against his thigh, Pythagoras is getting hard too.

 

They need relief, and Icarus moves one of his hands lower and lower, pulling at Pythagoras’ belt impatiently.

 

“Let me,” Pythagoras mutters, and he brushes Icarus’ hand aside.

 

Icarus is too impatient, and instead palms Pythagoras’ cock through his trousers, smirking against his neck as Pythagoras hisses in pleasure.

 

“Jason is back!”

 

Icarus’ first instinct is to move away from Pythagoras as quickly as possible, and that, of course, lands him on the floor next to the hammock. A sharp pain shoots up his shoulder and arm. “Ow!”

 

“Are you all right?” Pythagoras sits up more slowly, leaning over to look at Icarus.

 

“Fine,” he says, and sits up as well. He looks at the doorway, and Hercules’ face is as red as his feels. “So. Uhm. You said Jason and Ariadne were back?”

 

Hercules has his eyes very tightly closed. “Yes, they are, and they mentioned there is a band of thieves bothering the townspeople so Jason suggested we help them and I most certainly did not see anything and I am going to go ask Jason and Ariadne for more details!” He turns and stumbles into the doorway before he opens his eyes and hurries out.

 

Icarus buries his head in his hands, and groans, not just out of pain. “We’re going to help those townspeople, aren’t we?”

 

“Yes, we are.” Pythagoras lets out a resigned sigh. “There will be more opportunities for… experimenting with this hammock when we get back.”

 

Icarus looks up, and smiles at Pythagoras’ grin. “I should hope so!” He rubs at the shoulder he landed on, and gets up. “I have to say, though, if Jason insists on helping every town and village with their problems, we may never help Atlantis get free of Pasiphae.”

 

Pythagoras frowns slightly at that. “Now that,” he says, swinging his legs out of the hammock, “is an interesting dilemma!”

 

“Oh?”

 

Pythagoras turns to look at Icarus. “Yes! Because you must admit, helping all those towns and villages is a noble goal, is it not?”

 

“Of course it is.” It’s not like Icarus is suggesting they ignore people who need help when they can give it, after all.

 

“But, as you pointed out, it also slows us on our quest to save Atlantis.” Pythagoras is bouncing on his feet now. “So, what is a group of heroes to do? Save a lot of smaller towns, or ignore their plight and focus on one big city? Supposing, of course, they save an equal amount of people either way…”

 

“Are you suggesting we keep track of how many inhabitants each town and village we help has?” Icarus asks, retrieving their tunics from the floor, and throwing Pythagoras his.

 

Pythagoras catches the tunic absent-mindedly. “No, no, it’s a moral dilemma, Icarus, not something I suggest we put into practice.”

 

Icarus shakes his head as he pulls his tunic over his head. He’s not surprised Pythagoras’ mind has wandered off. He wouldn’t be Pythagoras if it didn’t.

 

“I wonder if the severity of the hypothetical problems of the one city versus the problems of the smaller towns matters in the decision?” Pythagoras muses, making no move to put his own tunic on. “Or if it is a well-known city versus towns you haven’t heard of?”

 

Icarus walks around the hammock towards Pythagoras, puts a hand on his shoulder and leans in for a brief kiss. “Pythagoras?”

 

Pythagoras blinks as he looks at Icarus, half-surprised he’s there. “Yes?”

 

“Do you want to discuss your dilemma with a philosopher, or do you want to help this town with their thief problem?” he asks.

 

“Help the town, of course,” Pythagoras mutters, cheeks flushing a little with embarrassment. “Philosophy can wait a while.” He pulls the tunic over his head, and walks out of the cabin.

 

Icarus follows him. He will happily discuss the dilemma with Pythagoras later – it is an interesting enough way to while some hours, he supposes – but only when they’ve finished their experiments with the hammock.

 


End file.
